


Side by Side

by jukori



Series: We have to turn around. I forgot my handkerchief. [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 21:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1525523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jukori/pseuds/jukori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Little Kili get's gravely injured and Fili needs to cope with it and be a big brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story plays in the Blue Mountains and in my head Kili is supposed to be the equivalent of a 10 year old human child and Fili of 13 years old. They are still dwarfs, but the aging process of dwarfs got me really confused so I just wanted to make it clear that they are both children in this :)

  
"Liar!" Kili shouted. "You promised me!"

  
"I never promised anything! Stop acting like a spoiled brat!" Fili replied in the same heated manner.

"What?!" Anger sizzled inside Kili. "You gave me your word! And now, now you're meeting her." His last sentence dripped with venom and something Fili couldn't quite place, but it didn’t matter in the moment. His brother was being a. Giant. Little. Shit.

"Oh, come on! I couldn't help you with your dumb archery-thing anyway. Naru and I wanted to spend some time alone and - "

Kili narrowed his eyes and abruptly stopped in his step.

"Fine. Whatever. Go to her! I hope you two get the ugliest goblin-children ever!"

"Take that back!" Fili growled with clenched fists.

"No! She is stupid!" Kili's face was flushed red in furry.

"I don't care what you think! It means nothing to me! And so do you!" As soon as the words left Fili's mouth he immediately regretted them, but it was too late to take them back. He tried nonetheless.

"Kili. I didn't -"

The younger dwarf looked like he had been struck. Tears were beginning to form at the rim of his eyes.

"I hate you. You jerk!"

Fili wasn't expecting the hard shove he received from his baby brother and landed painfully on his rear.

"Wait!" The blond called after him, as Kili stormed off.

"Arghhh." Fili's hands ran frustrated through his hair .

He truly didn't meant what he had said and promised himself to properly apologize later, but for now there was nothing he could do. Kili was always like a miniature volcano when provoked, all hot and boiling, ready to explode any minute. The best way to deal with him was to let him cool down of first and do something nice later.

Slowly Fili got on his feet. He sighed and glanced one last time in the direction his brother had vanished, before turning his back on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama baby~ and it's coming more! I hope you like it so far ;)
> 
> Anyhow, if you find any mistakes, something that doesn't make sense, sounds weird or if you have some questions or plot ideas please let me know! I want to improve my writing and I am open for any help I can get ;)
> 
> Reviews are awesome! And so are you! Thx for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

  
Swoosh

  
"...douchebag..."

Swoosh

"...moron..."

Swoosh

"...traitor..."

Kili took another arrow out of his quiver, while madly muttering insults in his yet to appear beard. If there was one thing he shared with his uncle it was the tendency to brood. And boy, he was getting better and better at it.

How could his own brother just say such horrible things to him?

All because of her, the youngest heir of Durin thought bitter. It was the fault of this stupid girl his idiot of brother was recently meeting. And oh, how he wished her hair would fall out, or she would get an ugly wart on her nose. Sadly none of that had happened so far and Kili was doomed watching Fili act like a lovestruck fool, ogling her like she was some kind of rare jewel and laughing obnoxiously loud over her jokes, which were not funny by the way!

Swoosh

He wasn't used to sharing his big brother in any matter, and he never actually had to fight for his attention before. Fili had always been his and not hers!  
Kili hated it. All of it. At some point he even hated himself for having those nasty thoughts. Deep down he knew it wasn't exactly her fault. But luckily most of the time he lived in denial.

Swoosh

It should have been such a great day. Fili had promised to help him practice. They would have been out here together, making jokes and having fun. His brother would complement his skills with the bow and when he eventually got bored they would start a wrestling match or run through the adjacent forest. But now it was ruined. Everything was ruined, just because of Fili. 

With the hem of his sleeve he wiped over his burning eyes.

Swoosh

"...jackass...,"he sniffled slightly.

Swoosh

The hours passed quickly and Kili reached for todays last arrow. His hurt feeling still lingered under the surface, but his rage had fumed away with time. The only remains left were his blistered hands and shaking arms from training. Kili couldn't bear a grudge for long anyway, at least not when his brother was concerned. Though, Fili didn't need to know that.

He sighed. It was slowly getting dark and the young dwarf could hardly see anymore in the dusk. Soon he would have to leave. After all he was supposed to meet up with Fili at sundown. So he lifted his bow for the final shot.

Swoosh

And missed. The arrow flew past it's target and deep into the woods.

"Great..." Kili grumbled, buckling the bow over his shoulder, while abandoning the rest of his stuff.

In a half-hearted attempt to retrieve his missing arrow he stomped through the forest. The first golden leaves covered already the ground and summer would soon be over.

He was just about to give up on his search as the shiny arrow-head cached his attention. Pleased with himself the young dwarf took a step closer and then there was suddenly nothing but pain and a sickening crack that echoed through the woods.

Kili screamed in agony as a metal jaw sunk into his flesh and tore his bones apart. He barely noticed when he crashed down on the hard ground. All there was, was the blinding curtain of pain creeping up his leg, followed by his own pathetic cries.

He had stepped into a foothold trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't worry about fili's "girl-friend" it will be the last time to appear. Fili got bigger problems now.
> 
> Anyhow, if you find any mistakes, something that doesn't make sense, sounds weird or if you have some questions or plot ideas please let me know! I want to improve my writing and I am open for any help I can get ;)
> 
> Reviews are awesome! And so are you! Thx for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

  
The young dwarf desperately tried to suppress the rising pain that threatened to overwhelm him. Broken sobs rocked his whole body and tears streamed down his cheeks. Kili’s heart hammered with a rapid beat against his chest, while shaky hands reached for the wounded leg. Warm blood ran in unforgiving waves over his fingers.

Kili drew in a jittery breath and gathered all his courage to lowered his gaze. Oh, how he wished he didn't. The cold steel had closed deep around his flesh. Right under his knee the bone pierced in a wicked angle through skin. The view alone made him sick.

As he realized that he was on his own and that no one was there to save him, fear spread through him. He didn't know what to do. Kili felt like a little dwarfling again. All he wanted was to go home.

Unable to stop his arms from trembling the young dwarf touched the cold metal.

With a grim look at his leg, he took another heavy breath.

"You can do this. You're an heir of Durin," Kili encouraged himself between tight lips. This wouldn't be pretty. His arm's tensed and he closed his eyes unable to watch.

A new wave of pain hit him, as he forced his muscles to work. He cried out, but continued in his task. Beneath his grip, he could already feel the trap parting. Almost done, he thought, soon he would be free.

More and more blood pooled up. The red liquid made his fingers slippery and suddenly he lost his hold on the metal jaw.

Yet another scream was ripped from Kilis throat, as the steel bit back into his skin, burying itself even deeper than before. His body sagged back in misery. It was no use. He couldn't do it. And with every second the struggle against the upcoming panic got harder. Over and over he called desperate for help, but no answer. Never in his life had he felt so scared and never had he wished more for his brother by his side.

Time passed and the shouts he let out now and then still resulted in nothing.

Slowly the pain faded into a dull throb, leaving a numb and empty feeling behind. With that his mind started to clear just enough to actually think.

Once Mister Dwalin had told him about the nature and functions of traps. Normally the chain's end would be fixed under a rock, or tied around something, or even be hidden in the ground. So if he couldn't get out, he just had to bring the dreadful thing with him.

His hands searched frenetic over the soil, till they finally found their destination. He followed the chains course. Like a snake it twisted around a large tree stock.

"Please, please, please..." Kili begged to the maker, while pushing the last leaves aside. This had to be it. Do or die.

When he reached its end his heart sank. It couldn't be true. His last hope had been crushed by a thick lock that held his chain in place.

Utterly exhausted he gave into his fate. Covered in dirt, tears, and blood he let his body drop against the oak-tree. He barely recognized the cold slowly sneaking up. Surely someone would look for him soon. They had to.

"Fili... help."


	4. Chapter 4

  
Fili hurried as he walked down the empty street. He was late, he knew. The sun already settled down and the last thing he needed was Kili going home without him. His mother would be totally pissed, if she wasn't already.

The thought of his brother and his hurt expression before he had left made Fili feel guilty all over again. He really should make it up to him. Hopefully Kili would have calmed a bit.

Fili was almost running by now. His breath came out in little puffs as he reached the crossroad where they usually met. But there was no sign of Kili.

He silently cursed. Had his brother truly ditched him? No way he could do that! How dare! Kili knew Fili would get in major trouble, if he came home alone. Especially at that hour.

There wasn't much choice for the princeling. All he could do was wait or rather pace restless back and forth. Maybe Kili was still at the training ground or he hung out with Ori. Those two seemed to get along rather well for all their differences. Surely Kili was just being late like himself.

Time moved on and still no Kili. Where the heck was he? Worries slowly started to nag at his mind, leaving a sour taste. He called out for him in the dark, just in case the little devil was hiding to mess with him. But nothing.

It was getting cold.

When Fili was certain that Kili wouldn't show up, his worry turned into anger. His brother was most likely sitting at home around the warm fire, with a full belly and probably laughing at him. Fili felt incredibly stupid.

Oh, the little bastard was so gonna pay for that, he thought bitter as he went home.

.  
.  
.

Quietly the young dwarf entered through the back door, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. The least Fili could do was delay his punishment. After he slipped off his heavy boots and hung his coat, he snuck upstairs.

"You're late." His mother's sharp voice cut through the air even before he could even put a food on the first step.

So much for his stealth abilities.

"Uhm... sorry." He muttered, trying to sound as rueful as possible.

When he turned to face his mother, she seemed not amused. Not at all. But more interestingly she also doesn't seemed plain outraged either. Sure there was irritation in her eyes and a tiny bit of disappointment, that always managed to sting, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. Sniffing his chance, Fili kept his gaze submissive on the ground.

Dis shook her head, "Go wash your hands."

The lad followed his mother into the kitchen and did what he was told. Fili couldn't believe his luck. That went surprisingly well.

"Where is Kili?" Dis asked while she was busying herself with the final touches of tonights supper.

Fili’s stomach dropped.

"He's not here?"

"No." His mother paused in her movement. "Why would he? Isn’t he with you?"

When her eldest son didn't reply she looked up. The silence stretched and slowly she realized that one was missing.

"Fili?" Dis took a deep breath, attempting to keep the upcoming panic out of her voice and at the same time fearing the answer of her next question more than anything else.

"Where. Is. Your. Brother?"

Filis thoughts ran with a thousand miles per hour. Kili wasn't here. He's alone. It was dark outside, dark and cold. And most of all: KILI WASN'T HERE!

"I… He…We had an argument, and he, he..." The words slurred together into an indistinguishable mess with the speed they were released.

"Slow down." Dis commanded, putting her hands firmly on his shoulder.

"Look at me." With her eyes she captured Fili's till he calmed enough to continue.

"Good." She nodded. "And now tell me what happened."

After he finished Fili felt drained. He knew he had somehow horribly screwed up, but there was no time to wallow in self-pity, Kili needed his help.

"Go fetch your uncle." His mother ordered and Fili took of as fast as he could.


	5. Chapter 5

  
Kili gave up calling for help. His voice was hoarse and every breath burned in his lungs.

As he slipped in and out of the darkness of his mind, the hours went slowly by. He couldn't tell how long he was out. It felt like he had spent an eternity on the wet ground. His vision became blurred over time and his eyelids felt incredibly heavy. There was a constant weight pulling, trying to drown him till he wilted under the pressure and finally surrendered and them fall shut.

His head lolled back and dropped on his chest, however the sudden movement startled the young dwarf enough to interrupt his short slumber. His eyes flew open, leaving him once more in the cruel grip of consciousness.

Kili's body arched in pain and exhaustion. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as expected, at least if he didn't move too much. What should have been his worst nightmare was reduced into a dull throb accompanied by a numb feeling. He wasn't sure if this was a good or not, but who was he to complain?

When the sharp wind started to bite through his clothes, his teeth chattered in response and he was unable to repress the shivering that followed. Unnoticed the night had crept up. Stars were littering the sky, building a different world above. Their light seemed cold and distant. It didn't so much illuminated as highlighted the darkness and if it weren't for the moon he wouldn't be able to see at all. Kili felt incredibly small.

Through half-closed lids his gaze wandered sluggish over the injured leg. It appeared foreign and unnatural, like it wasn't a part of him anymore. Just lying lifeless in a puddle of red. Briefly he wondered where all the blood came from. It hadn't been there before. Was this all his? That didn't seem right.

The iron weight continued to drag itself through Kili's mind, making it impossible to focus. He grew tired while the silence of the night lulled him in, whispering and promising peace were none should be.

Kili was about to pass out again as suddenly a howl released him from his trance. It was deep and rung loud in his ears. At a moment's notice he became wide awake and turned his head toward its direction.

All at once the tales of wolves and wargs flashed through his thoughts. They were mostly about huge monsters that would eat you alive, about screams in the dark and lots of dead. Back at the warm fire and in the safety of his home and family they didn't seem so scary, but out here in the wild it was a whole different story. Hungry predators that were searching for flesh and blood presented now a real threat. And he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

Another roar ripped the young dwarf out of his grim thoughts. It sounded closer. This was not good. His heart began to beat faster and faster. His mind was racing in every possible direction. What should he do?

Instinctive he reached for his bow. The solid wood had something strangely comforting beneath his grip and was still secured on his back. In the course of events he hadn't bothered to remove it. But what was a bow without an arrow? All his belongings were still at the training ground including his weapons and now he had absolutely nothing to defend himself. Well, that wasn't exactly truth, was it? The wheels started to spin until it made click.

His eyes searched over the dirt and paused as they finally found what they were looking for. There lay the missing thing that had started it all. Mockingly the moonlight gathered innocent on the arrowhead. It seemed out of reach, but he had to try. There was no other option left.

Kili flinched as the beast howled a third time. No mistake, it was definitely coming closer.

He looked at his chain and struggled to measure the distance. Not able to tell if it would be long enough, he swallowed. This would be a close call.

The lad wasn't sure what to do next. Standing up was out of option, he could barely move, let alone support his leg. So he clenched his teeth together and decided to roll on his stomach.

What had felt a few minutes ago like nothing more than a simple chunk of meat attached to his hip, proved now it's clear affiliation to his body via immense pain. Agony radiated from the wound and Kili bit on his lips to stifle his screams. After all there was no need to make it easier than necessary for the beast by luring it on.

With his final effort he dragged himself over the rough soil. He dug his fingers into the dirt and pushed his intact foot as good as possible. His muscles hurt under the strain and his arms burned. The adrenalin had long ago left his system and it bordered on torture to force his body to move, but Kili continued fueled by blood, sweat and tears. Inch by inch he crawled forward, ignoring the new waves of fresh blood that gushed from his leg and the dizziness that followed. Cold determination had set into him and if he was one thing than stubborn.

The howls faded, just to be replaced with rustling in the bush right before him.

Fear gave him speed.

He was almost there. Just a little more and he could touch the arrow. And then it all stopped. White lights danced in his vision and he screamed.

The cursed chain was too short.


	6. Chapter 6

  
_The cursed chain was too short._

  
Tears streamed over his cheeks as he tried to bear the pain that resulted from the battle between his body and the metal buried inside it. Kili pulled frantic at his restrains. With courage born out of desperation he pushed forward and stretched his arms as far as he could.

The chain links rattled in sync with the noise of the leaves.

He thanked the maker silently as his fingers finally closed around the arrow shaft. His body froze as the monster was about to show. Blood rushed in his ears. He mobilized his last strength and in a swift move he sat up, pulling his bow from his back.

And out of the woods hopped a bunny.

A sweet fluffy little bunny. Curiously it sniffed a couple of times in the air and looked at the stunned dwarfling with huge brown eyes, before vanishing again into the deep forest.The heck!

"Stupid rabbit." Kili muttered relieved over nervous laughter and lowered his bow. He knew he should probably be angry, but he couldn't find it in him. He was just too tired.

Suddenly a shiver ran through his body that had nothing to do with the low temperature. The hair on his arms stood up, while he felt the hot breath of a beast far bigger than himself grazing over his neck.

Kili didn't dare to move his head, however out of the corner of his eyes he could see bared yellow fangs, framed in foam that was dripping from it's mouth. It wasn't a wolf nor a wrag. No. It was a giant wild dog. A dog with madness in its eyes.

He slowly lifted his bow up again. One try was all he had, nothing more.

Swoosh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might wonder why I went with a dog instead of a warg/wolf, but I figured it made more sense, cause little Kili against a wrag would have no chance, and don't forget kili is a dwarf and there are big dogs out there that must look for him gigantic.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! they really make me happy and keep me writing!
> 
> Anyhow if you find any mistakes, something that doesn't make sense, sounds weird or if you have some questions or plot ideas please let me know! I want to improve my writing and am open for any help I can get ;)
> 
> Reviews are awesome! And so are you.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kili!"

"Kili! Where are you lad?"

Desperate shouts echoed over the endless night. Torches flickered weakly against the grim forest, like stars, trying to turn the ground into the sky.

There was no time to waste. Thorin had assembled a small group of dwarfs to look for his lost nephew. While Fili showed them the place where he had parted with his little brother, and lend them to the deserted training area, he mentally prepared for the worst.

Soon enough they found Kili's belongings, an empty quiver and some arrows sticking lonely in a wooden target, but not the boy himself. The dwarf king let his fingers wander over the shaft, down to the soft fletching they had once carefully fixed on together. One by one he pulled them out. Kili would never leave them willingly behind. 

In order to cover more ground the search party split up, but so far without success, the lad remained missing. 

He sighed. With every passing moment his hope shrunk. 

Angry he glared at the firmament. In theory one ought to think moonlight would have helped their quest, however moonlight was deceptive, creating shadows where their shouldn’t be any, and the faint light they brought wasn’t able to keep the darkness at bay. There was only so much they could do.

"Kili!" Thorin’s deep voice cut across the black abyss once more. The silence that followed spoke for itself.

He was about to give up, when he suddenly tripped and almost lost his footing. A steady line of curses rolled over his lips, while preventing his face to drop into the mud. Turning around to take a closer look, he paled. He would recognize the mob of brown hair everywhere.

“Kili?” He whispered and rushed to his side. 

The boy lay on his side with his legs curled up. Fear grew inside Thorin as he noticed his colorless face and unmoving chest.

“Kili this is serious, come on!” 

But his nephew wouldn’t wake no matter what. He stopped shacking the unresponsive body of the child, and reached with trembling hands for the lads pulse. Nothing. With gruesome determination he swiftly took out his hunting knife. May the gods hear his prayers and have mercy on his soul. 

And they did. As he held it over Kili’s blue lips and nose a thin layer of fog gathered on the edge of the blade. Thorin allowed himself to breath again. 

"Over here! I found him!" He called for the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry for the long hiatus. But I guess better than nothing. I hope you still like it! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! They really make me happy and keep me writing! This chapter is devoted to iamD_and_idontshipiyatch. I wasn't sure if I should continue this story or not, but as long as there are people that are interested I will keep on writing (even if it takes some time XD) 
> 
> Anyhow if you find any mistakes, something that doesn't make sense, sounds weird or if you have some questions or plot ideas please let me know! I want to improve my writing and am open for any help I can get ;)
> 
> Reviews are awesome! And so are you.


End file.
